


The Blackened Topaz

by FreedomWhistle



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Charge
Genre: Also a Dark Ranger, Attempted Kidnapping, Bonded to the Dark Energem, Chase Loses It, Energem Bonds, F/M, Gen, Jealousy, Kidnapping, Lara Is Chase's Weakness, Past Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Post Series, Ransoms, Soulmates, Three Guys Fighting Over One Girl, Topaz Energem, Twelfth Energem, a lot of time-travel, guess who wins, time-travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-07-23 20:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16166192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreedomWhistle/pseuds/FreedomWhistle
Summary: [ON INDEFINITE HIATUS]Ten Energems. Red, Pink, Black, Green, Blue, Purple, Silver, Gold, Aqua, and Graphite.Keeper has kept a well-guarded secret from the Dino Charge Rangers. An eleventh Energem had been created, the Topaz Energem. Bonded to the spirit of the Maiasaura, the Topaz Ranger is the soulmate of one of the Rangers. A certain Kiwi. One year later, a new girl comes to the Amber Beach Dinosaur Zoo. And things are about to get wild.





	1. Prologue

**Pangaea**

**65 Million Years Ago**

They'd all gone home. Ivan, Koda, even Zenowing and Heckyl. Just as Chase, the now former Black Power Ranger, was about to hop through the time portal himself, Keeper set his hand on Chase's wrist.

"Fear not, Chase," The Guardian said softly. "You will see your Energem again, but I fear that the situation will be far direr than now." As Chase looked at Keeper in confusion, the time portal began to pop and crackle.

"Go, Chase. The portal is about to close." With one last glance at Keeper, Chase hopped through, landing back in Amber Beach. He didn't see Keeper hold up a small, glittery orange stone, identical in shape to the Rangers' Energems. The Guardian then turned to the dinosaur that had just walked up to him.

"Soon, Maiasaura. I do not think Sledge, Fury, or Arcanon were the only ones after the Energems. I fear that  _he_ will soon be hunting down the Rangers, Chase especially." The hadrosaur tilted her head as if asking a question. "Why did I not warn him?" Keeper asked. The Maisaura nodded. Keeper sighed.

"I did not want to accidentally warp the timeline." Keeper chuckled darkly at the irony, before turning back to the Maisaura.

"Find someone pure of heart to become the Topaz Ranger. It may not be you, but one of your descendants  _will_ discover a worthy protector of the Topaz Energem. Evil will return, and the Rangers will need the help they can get." Keeper then waved his staff, and the Energem floated up in front of the Maiasaura, before disappearing and sending a glittery orange glow along her body.

After Keeper had left, the Maiasaura headed back to her nest. When she got there though, her motherly instincts kicked into overdrive. Because there, trying to reach one of her eggs, was another human. Not like those  _Rangers_ Keeper had been helping, no. This one was  _evil_ , Maiasaura knew. The man must have sensed her presence because he turned around and smirked at her.

"You're the one Keeper has bonded the Energem too. Very well, prepare to die." But, this hadrosaur wasn't planning on giving up so easily. She charged forward and slapped the man aside with her tail. He flew through the sky, before disappearing in mid-air. As Maiasaura looked around, she suddenly collapsed to the ground, energy leaving her abruptly. She wearily lifted her head to see the would-be egg-thief standing over her, one hand exposed. What had he done to her? He was suddenly thrown to the side, by an unseen force. A figure stepped into Maiasaura's fading view. It was Keeper.

"Leave this timeline, Time Warp." The Guardian said angrily. "You will not have this Energem, the world needs it." Time Warp, _was that the evil man's name?_ scoffed and shook his head disapprovingly.

"Tsk, tsk, Keeper. Does the  _world_ need the Topaz Ranger? Or does  _Chase_?" Before Keeper could do anything, Time Warp had waved a hand and jumped through his own time portal, but not before saying,

"You won't protect the Rangers forever. Black and Topaz  _will_ be mine, and you can't do anything about it." After he was gone, Keeper turned towards the dying Maiasaura. Running a hand over her shoulder, Keeper smiled softly.

"You have put up a good fight. If you would like, I could transfer the Energem to one of your eggs, so Time Warp would not be able to reach it." It was too tiring to nod her head, so the Maiasaura just blinked. Keeper nodded and waved his staff again, and the orange crystal lifted out of the Maiasaura's body and floated into an egg.

"There," Keeper said. "Rest now Maiasaura. The world will be protected. You need not have fear." Maiasaura closed her eyes, and all feeling left her body, making her feel nothing more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The way Time Warp kills creatures is that he can age them super fast, essentially bringing them into their own "future" bodies


	2. Chapter 1:Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chase and Lara meet

**Amber Beach Dinosaur Zoo**

**Present Day**

Lara

The girl stepped off the bus and looked up at the building ahead of her. The Amber Beach Dinosaur Zoo. Lara couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong about the whole situation. She could've sworn there had been a museum here once upon a time, but maybe that was just her imagination. Lara sighed as she walked inside, in awe of the many different dinosaur habitats situated around the main pathway. 

She'd come to Amber Beach to  _escape_ her past, not create more problems. Lara was so preoccupied with thoughts about why she'd left Los Angeles, she didn't see where she was going until she quite literally ran into someone.

"Oh my," A voice with a thick New Zealand accent said as Lara felt someone pull her up. "Sorry, mate. I didn't see where I was going." Lara looked up and found herself face-to-face with a young man in a black t-shirt, carrying a skateboard with a kiwi decal on it. Lara shook her head, making her dark brown hair swish over her shoulder.

"No, it's fine. I wasn't watching where I was going, either." she noticed that the man was wearing a nametag from the museum's employee uniform. ' **Chase Parasaur** ', it read.

"Do you work here?" Lara asked, suddenly remembering the whole reason she'd come to the zoo in the first place. Chase nodded.

"Yeah, I'm one of the hadrosaur caretakers."

"Oh, good. Could you maybe tell me where I can find Kendall Morgan? I have an appointment with her about being the zoo's hadrosaur behaviorist, but I'm not entirely sure where the director's office is." Chase smiled at her, and Lara couldn't help but think he had quite the charming smile. He probably had girls falling all over him.

"Sure! I'll even take you there, the hadrosaur habitat is on the way anyway." As the two headed outside, to the far side of the zoo, Lara still felt like there was something off. Just as they were passing a pair of Parasaurs, Chase bent down and grabbed a metal basket full of lettuce leaves.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he opened the habitat's gate. "You seem distracted." Lara leaned against the fence and watched as Chase carefully approached the two dinosaurs.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just, I've got this weird feeling." Chase glanced at her as the first Parasaur walked up to him.

"What kind of 'weird feeling'?" he asked. Lara shrugged, eyes narrowing in concentration.

"I don't know. It's like I have this memory, but it could just be my imagination."

"A 'memory'?" Chase questioned calmly.

"I feel like before the zoo was here, there was this museum, full of dinosaur  _fossils_ , not the actual living, breathing creatures." There was a sharp clang as Chase abruptly dropped the basket, startling the Parasaur into a frenzy.

"Chase!" Lara cried as the Parasaur backed up, readying itself to charge. Without really knowing what she was doing, Lara threw the gate open and ran into the enclosure.

"What do you think you're doing?" Chase cried as Lara ran towards him and the Parasaur, the latter's crest wobbling in a sound that could only be described as  _extremely_ hostile. The dinosaur turned from Chase and faced Lara, its black eyes glinting threateningly. Lara held up her hands in what she hoped was a gesture of peace.

"It's okay," Lara told the Parasaur as it took a step forward. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to grab my friend, and we'll be out of your way. Okay?" The massive creature studied her for a moment before lowering its head and stepping to the side. Lara dipped her head in gratitude.

"Thank you," she said as she cautiously walked over and gripped Chase's arm. "Let's go, before she changes her mind," she told him as Lara led Chase out onto the main path.

"Thanks," Chase said once they were safe. "I don't know what made Para act like that. Normally, she's totally chill."

"You startled her," Lara said bluntly. "When you dropped the metal basket on the ground, the noise made her panic." Chase looked dejected, and his shoulders sagged.

"I feel terrible," he said as they headed towards Kendall's office. "It took me almost six months to gain Para's trust originally, and now I've ruined it." Lara set a hand on the New Zealander's shoulder and smiled softly at him.

"All you need is practice. I'm sure Para will forgive you, it was an accident, after all. Hey, tell you what, I studied hadrosaur behaviors for awhile in high school. Maybe I could work with you and Para to reinstate your bond?" Chase nodded as they reached Kendall's office. The door was slightly ajar, and Lara could see the young director sitting at her desk, working.

"Sure. I know I can use all the help I can get." Lara smiled again, but Chase spoke up just as she was about to open the door.

"Hey, I never did catch your name," he said as Lara turned the door handle. She glanced back and smirked at him.

"Lara," she said. "My name is Lara. Lara Davis." Chase grinned.

"Well,  _Lara_ , it's been a pleasure. See you around?" Lara nodded.

"Definitely."

Chase

Lara was attractive, Chase'd give her that. Granted, he thought every girl was attractive. But, Lara was different. For one thing, the girl had  _guts_. Not everyone could just run into the habitat of a rampaging dinosaur and _reason_ with it. Secondly, she remembered what the world was like  _before_ the Power Rangers had changed the timeline. If that didn't signify something, Chase didn't know what did.

As Chase walked towards the secret base that he and his friends  _still_ used, even though it had been almost a full year since Sledge, Arcanon, and Fury's defeat, he mulled his thoughts over in his head. If only Keeper were here. The wise old Guardian would surely know what was going on.

But, Chase, Kendall, Tyler, Shelby, and Riley had absolutely no way to contact him. When Chase reached the end of the slide, he was immediately engulfed in a big bear hug that could only have been initiated by one person.

"Whoa, there mate," Chase told the caveman. When the former Blue Ranger didn't let up, Chase grunted, "Koda, mate, I can't feel my ribs." Koda finally let go, and Chase took a deep breath. Sometimes he wondered if the 100,000-year-old caveman knew his own strength.

"What are you doing here?" Chase asked once he'd caught his breath.

"Keeper says we visit," Chase's head shot up. If Keeper was here, then...

"Hello, Chase," The voice of the elderly alien drew Chase from his thoughts, and he looked up to find Keeper standing beside the control console.

"Keeper," Chase said, slightly in awe. "What are you doing here?" Keeper held something out in the palm of his hand, and Chase was shocked to see that it was his Energem.

"I've come to return this to you, along with Tyler's, Shelby's, Riley's, Kendall's, and Ivan's. Koda had already received his." Chase took the shimmery black jewel and turned it over in his hand.

"Is something wrong, Keeper? The last time you gave our Energems back was when Heximas came. Is another monster on their way?" Keeper nodded grimly.

"I fear they will soon be. I don't know yet when they will be here, but I am convinced they will be just as bad as Sledge, Fury, Snide, or Arcanon, perhaps worse." Chase's gut clenched as he processed Keeper's words. Worse than Arcanon? Or Snide?

"Will you stay and help us defeat them once they get here?" Chase asked. To his relief, Keeper nodded.

"Yes. If they are who I fear, the Rangers will need all the help they can get."

"Where is Kendall?" Koda asked, and his words made Chase remember what he'd needed to talk to Keeper about.

"Up in the zoo," he told Koda, before turning to the alien in front of him. "Keeper? What would you say if I told you someone remembered what Amber Beach was like  _before_ we changed the timeline?" The Guardian looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking as everyone else walked in, Koda and Ivan trailing behind them.

"If someone were to remember what the Earth was like when dinosaurs were extinct, then they would most likely be a Power Ranger, or..." Keeper's eyes shot to Chase's as he trailed off. "Who did you say remembers this?" Before Chase could answer, Tyler cut in.

"Who remembers what?" Chase sighed.

"Somebody I met today remembers things from before the timeline was changed. From _before_ Sledge, Arcanon, and Fury were defeated" Kendall came in last, presumably from her meeting/appointment with Lara. Five gasps sounded when Tyler, Shelby, Riley, Ivan, and Kendall processed Chase's information.

"Who is this mystery person?" Ivan asked. "Are they some diabolical new villain? Shall I duel them for the safety of Earth?"

"What?" Chase asked, shocked. "No, no, no. She's not a villain. At least I don't think so." Lara hadn't  _seemed_ evil when they'd met earlier, but, the Rangers had thought that about Heckyl too, and he turned out to be evil. Granted, he'd ended up helping them in the end so maybe... Shelby waggling her eyebrows at him jerked Chase out of his thoughts.

"So, it's a  _she_ then?" Chase just glared at her. Ever since he and Kaylee had broken up, with the latter moving to the other side of the country while not thinking a long-distance relationship would work, Shelby had been trying to get Chase a new girlfriend.

"Yeah, she's a girl. So what?" Kendall spoke up from where she was standing beside Riley.

"Are you talking about Lara?" Chase felt his shoulders tense. Sometimes the Purple Ranger was a little  _too_ intuitive.

"Maybe," he grumbled. "Did you talk to her?" Kendall nodded.

"Yes, I spoke with her about being the zoo's hadrosaur behaviorist. It may take a few weeks, but I believe she's fit for the role. She's only nineteen, but she has exceptional skills." Shelby's voice filled Chase's head again as the Pink Ranger squealed.

"Eeek! You're both going to be working with the hadrosaurs! It's like you're meant to be." Before Chase could explode, Keeper spoke.

"I have a feeling I may know what's going on here. But, I must confess that I have not been entirely honest with you Rangers." Ivan stepped forward and set a hand on the old Guardian's shoulder.

"Fear not, Keeper. You have nothing to hide from us." Chase saw Keeper take a deep breath before he spoke.

"I have lied to you about how many Energems there are."

"What?" A chorus of seven voices cried out. Keeper nodded grimly.

"Not counting the Dark Energem, there was originally eleven Energems. Red, Pink, Green, Blue, Purple, Black, Gold, Silver, Aqua, Graphite... and the Topaz Energem."

"The Topaz Energem?" Tyler echoed. Keeper nodded again.

"Yes, bonded to the spirit of the Maiasaura dinosaur. I did not tell you about it because I feared it had been lost long ago after the original Maiasaura was killed."

"Do you think Lara has bonded with the Topaz Energem?" Kendall asked. Keeper shook his head.

"No. Not yet, at least. Like I told Chase, Lara would only remember the original timeline if she was a Power Ranger,  _or_ ," he added when Riley opened his mouth to retort. "if her Energem was part of an Energem bond."

"An Energem bond?" Shelby asked. "What's that?"

"Just like how each Energem bonded with each of you, some Energems bond with each other, like what humans call soulmates. They do not need to be romantic, but some of the romantic bonds include the Red and Pink Energems," he looked at Tyler and Shelby, who both blushed, before turning to Chase, who looked at him in shock. "Along with the Black and Topaz Energems."

Before anyone could say anything though, a computer on the console beeped an alert.

"Alien bio-signs?" Kendall whispered before she gasped.

"Kendall, what is it?" Chase asked, his blood beginning to run cold. Something was terribly wrong. Kendall looked up from her computer, her face unnaturally pale.

"It's Fury, he's in the hadrosaur habitat, with the Maiasaura." Riley groaned.

"Something tells me he's not looking to just feed the dinosaurs."

"How did he even  _know_ about the Topaz Energem?" Tyler asked.

"Better question," Shelby countered. "How is he even  _alive_?" Chase didn't know what made him glance at the computer screen, some kind of pull, but when he did, his gut clenched. Because there, slowly sneaking through the thick foliage in the Maiasaura enclosure, was  _Lara_.

"We have to go," Chase said quickly. When nobody moved, he started shouting. "Now!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try to update this every Saturday. D.A.W.N Academy, my Young Justice fic, will most likely update every Tuesday.


	3. Chapter 2:Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Topaz Energem comes into play

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just watched the 2017 Power Rangers movie, and OMG, the cutscene at the end! Also, casting Dacre Montgomery as Jason was so funny, as I am a huge fan of Stranger Things. They NEED to make a power rangers sequel now!

**Amber Beach Dinosaur Zoo: Maiasaura Enclosure**

**Present Day**

Lara

Lara snuck through the Maiasaura habitat, keeping to the thick ferns and foliage that were everywhere in the enclosure. The weird lion-looking creature had gone this way, she was sure of it. The creature kept talking to himself, saying something about a Zord? And an Energem? Sure, she knew about the Power Rangers, everyone did. But, hadn't the Rangers defeated Fury when they traveled back in time to save the dinosaurs from extinction?

Okay, wait a minute. How in the  _hell_ did she know that? The Power Rangers, as far as everyone else knew, were just characters in comic books, made to entertain children.

A snapping twig made Lara freeze. She quickly hid behind a tree, and she couldn't help but feel like she was a character in Jurassic Park. Lara was suddenly  _really_ glad that she wasn't in with the velociraptors. Now,  _that_ would have been a disaster. 

Lara slowly peeked her head around the tree's trunk and found herself face-to-face with the lion-creature.

"Ha!" He cackled, even though his mouth didn't move, which Lara found quite confusing. "I've found you. Nobody can escape from Fury! You're probably the one Warpie's looking for. Good, I don't want to have to travel through a time-portal  _again_." Suddenly, there was a figure between Lara and Fury. Dressed in a black spandex suit with gray, scale-like sleeves, yellow triangle -pattern sash, and a parasaur-shaped helmet, was the Black Ranger.

"Get away from her," he growled. Lara could've sworn she'd heard his voice before, but she couldn't place it. Maybe it was someone she'd just met? Fury just cackled in response, and Lara couldn't help but shudder. The guy was  _seriously_ creepy.

"Oh look, the Black Ranger has a girlfriend. No matter, I'll just kill you both at once." Fury raised his sword, and as he swung it towards them, the Black Ranger tackled Lara to the ground, and they rolled to a stop in a clump of ferns just as Fury's jagged sword smashed down where Lara had been standing just a few seconds before. Even though Lara couldn't see the Ranger's face through his opaque visor, she somehow knew he was staring at her just as intently as Lara was at him.

"Sorry," the Black Ranger told her, climbing off of Lara and offering her a hand. Once she stood up, Lara looked around for Fury, but she couldn't see him. That was when she realized the Black Ranger was still holding her hand. She glanced at him, one eyebrow raised.

"Sorry," he said again, abruptly dropping her hand and rubbing the back of his neck. Lara shook her head quickly, trying hard not to blush.

"No, it's fine." Before either of them could say anything though, a high-pitched cry rang through the forest making Lara's head snap up. Before she'd left Los Angeles, Lara had done some in-depth research about different hadrosaurs and their behavioral patterns, and one of the articles she'd read had spoken of the hatching of a new Maiasaura at the zoo. If Fury was going after the baby, then...

"Lara! Where are you going?" The Black Ranger cried. For a split second, Lara wondered how he knew her name, but right now she had bigger problems to worry about than a superhero who knew her name even though she'd never told him.

"Fury's going after the hatchling!" She called back to him as she ran through the foliage. "I need to save it!" Lara didn't wait for his answer as she suddenly burst through the trees to find herself on the edge of the Maiasauras' hatching ground. There were several dinosaurs on the far side, but they were too far away to do anything. Because there, in the center nest, was Fury, trying to take the newly hatched baby Maiasaura away from its mother, who was  _not_ happy.

"Fury, give the baby back to its mother!" Lara cried. "You don't know what you're doing!" The lion-creature glanced at her before he cackled maniacally.

"Oh, I assure you, I know  _exactly_ what I'm doing. My master's bidding." Lara desperately tried to think of a plan as she stalled for time. Where  _was_ that Black Ranger?

"Who's your 'master'?" Lara asked, a little bit confused. "And what is his 'bidding'?" Fury suddenly spread his arms in what Lara assumed to be some sort of grand gesture.

"My master is the great Time Warp of course. He is so much better than that bonehead Sledge or Arcanon. And his bidding? Well, that is where you come in,  _Lara_." Lara just glared at the monster in front of her as he slowly stalked forward, his sword hanging lazily at his side.

"How so?" she asked warily.

"Well. I am going to take you back to where Warpie calls home, and you will become his queen." Lara's eyes widened, and she stared at Fury, quite offended.

" _Excuse_ me?" she burst out. "I will  _not_." Fury suddenly wrapped one giant paw around Lara's throat and lifted her off the ground. As Lara gasped for breath, she saw a group of six figures jump up from behind Fury, the Black Ranger in the lead. The Black Ranger had brought reinforcements. Lara tried to sigh in relief, but the pressure on her trachea was too great. 

"You guys...take...care of Fury!" he cried, his voice sounding oddly strained as if he had something in his throat. "I got...Lara and...the baby...Maiasaura." The rest of the rangers rushed Fury, making the villain drop Lara to the ground, where she gasped for breath. Out of the corner of her eye, Lara saw the Black Ranger on his knees a few feet away, and it sounded like he was coughing as if he was trying to get breath back into his lungs. 

A sudden cry distracted Lara from her observation, and she looked up in time to see the baby Maiasaura fly from Fury's other hand, and into the air. Lara watched with wide eyes as she followed the hatchling's trajectory, and a plan began to take shape in her mind.

Lara spotted a giant boulder off to her left, and she ran towards it, vaulted off the edge, and used a tree trunk as leverage before intercepting the baby Maiasaura's path. As Lara wrapped her arms securely around the hatchling's midsection, she was suddenly very glad for the almost thirteen years of gymnastics her mom had made her do back in LA.

Lara tumbled to the ground, shielding the Maiasaura from the impact, and lay on the grass, catching her breath and staring up at the sky, as the hatchling headed back towards its mother, who rubbed her head against the baby affectionately. A subtle glimmer from Lara's left caught the girl's eye. There, not two feet away, lay a small, cylindrical orange gem, glittering in the late June sun. As Lara grabbed hold of it, she heard Fury's rage-filled cry sound from a distance away.

"No! The Energem!" Wait, this was an Energem? Before Lara could process anything, Fury was running straight at her, and the rest of the Rangers couldn't do anything about it. Just as Lara was about to be cut down by Fury's sword, the Black Ranger jumped in front of them.

"Para-Chopper blast!" The rapid-fire bolts of energy from his blaster knocked Fury to the ground several meters away, and the villain lay there, a little bit stunned.

"You some sort of hotshot?" Lara asked gratefully as he walked up. The ranger shrugged.

"That's what my mates call me." Once again, Lara couldn't see the Black Ranger's face but she knew he was smiling. Suddenly, Lara's hand started to glow, and she looked down just in time to see the Energem in her hand send a wave of orange light running down her body.

But, before the light could fully dissipate, a sudden shockwave of electricity ran through Lara's veins, throwing her to the ground. To her right, Lara saw the Black Ranger fall to the ground as well, convulsing as if he'd been electrocuted, which Lara knew he hadn't been, so what was wrong?

"Blast it!" Fury cried as darkness lurked at the edges of Lara's vision. "You've bonded to the Topaz Energem. And it looks like Blackie over here has bonded with  _you_. I'll be back Rangers, you can be sure of that." As soon as he was gone, the Black Ranger crawled over to where Lara was laying. Through her fading vision, Lara saw the Black Ranger take off his helmet. Maybe her brain was just fuzzy from the electrons running through her brain, but she could've sworn she knew him. She _did_ know him, it turned out, once she recognized his voice.

"Some behaviorist, huh?"

The Black Ranger. He was Chase. The sudden weight of Chase's now-unconscious form falling on top of her startled Lara, but the thought-processing was too tiring. Right now, she just wanted to sleep...

_** xxxxxxxxxxx ** _

As both Lara and Chase fell unconscious, neither of them noticed that both of their Energems had begun to glow. As Tyler and the rest of the Rangers quickly ran over to their fallen teammate and Lara, they were blinded by the brightness that emanated from both the Black and Topaz Energems.

"What happening?" Koda asked, somewhat fearfully. He didn't know what was happening to Chase and the brown-haired girl, but he didn't like it. Tyler demorphed quickly and placed a finger on the sides of Lara's and Chase's necks. To the Red Ranger's relief, they were both still breathing.

"They're still alive," he said. "But, we need to take them to Kendall and Keeper. They'll be able to help."

_**********_

The five rangers still conscious burst into the base, startling Kendall and Keeper from where they were standing by the control console.

"What happened?" Kendall cried as Koda set both Lara and Chase on a large, flat crate next to a terrarium. The glow from the two's Energems had gotten brighter, and now it hurts to look at them for more than a few seconds. It could have also been because the base was almost pitch-black.

"Why is it so dark in here?" Riley asked, also shielding his eyes from the brightness of the two Energems. Kendall's face was lit on one side from the orange glow of Lara's Energem and shadowed on the other from Chase's.

"The power went out in the entire zoo. What  _happened_ out there?" 

"Fury went after the baby Maiasaura, trying to find the Topaz Energem," Tyler said. "Lara saved the hatchling and bonded to the Energem in the process, but Fury electrocuted her."

"Chase fell unconscious at about the same time as Lara," Riley added. Keeper nodded as he walked towards him.

"It is their Energem bond. Chase felt Lara's pain when Fury injured her because the Black and Topaz Energems are connected. When one Ranger is injured, the mental link will make the other feel their pain and side-effects, but nothing would be significantly wrong with them."

"Chase also took off his helmet in front of Lara," Shelby added. "What do we tell her once they wake up?"

"Teach Lara to be a ranger," Keeper answered. "Fury will return, and we will most likely need the Topaz Ranger's help when that time comes." Time? Shelby suddenly remembered something Fury had been saying on the battlefield.

"Keeper?" she asked. "Have you ever heard of a monster called Time Warp?" Shelby saw Keeper visibly tense.

"Excuse me?" the alien asked, and Tyler was shocked to hear that the Guardian's voice was almost quivering in fear. If Keeper was this scared of a villain Fury _worked_ for, what was the monster actually like?

"Time Warp," Shelby asked again. "Who is he?" Keeper sat down heavily on a crate next to where Lara and Chase were laying, still unconscious but breathing deeply. Keeper gripped his staff like it was a lifeline.

"Time Warp used to be my apprentice," he started.

"Like Zenowing?" Koda asked, his face scrunched up in concentration. Keeper nodded.

"Yes. Time Warp was my first apprentice. He showed great promise, and I would've gifted him an Energem, had he not strayed down a darker path,"

"What happened?" Kendall asked. She had never heard this story, none of them had. Keeper sighed, gazing at Chase and Lara's unconscious forms.

"Time Warp's power is that he is able to open time portals and travel to different eras in history. Once, I was training him in his ability when he accidentally traveled to your time and glimpsed Lara saving Chase from the Parasaur. He immediately fell in love with her and vowed to make her his."

"That's twisted," Riley said, but a sudden sizzle jerked everyone out of their own thoughts. Keeper jumped away from Chase and Lara, who were now convulsing rapidly, their Energems glowing even brighter. As Tyler shielded his eyes, he heard Keeper's voice.

"Tyler, bring their Energems next to each other. It might counteract the electricity." Tyler crept forward slowly, not wanting to get shocked by the sparks that were now flying around the two Energems. He grabbed the thin cord that Chase's hung on and brought it close to Lara's hand. Everyone gasped as a small wisp of black filtered out of Chase's Energem and combined with an orange wisp that had come out of Lara's.

As soon as the two mixed, there was a sharp "pop!" and Chase and Lara's bodies settled, and the lights came back on. Everything was quiet. In the six rangers' minds that is. In Chase and Lara's on the other hand, well, that was a  _whole_ other story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic will update every Sunday. D.A.W.N Academy will update every Tuesday.


	4. Chapter 3:Memories (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lara is keeping some secrets from Chase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of this chapter is where the past attempted rape comes in, but there's nothing too graphic. If it makes you uncomfortable, please skip the 8th to 11th paragraphs in Lara's POV. Thank You!  
> I also had some major writer's block while writing this chapter as in how exactly to phrase Lara and Chase's flashbacks, but, I got it up in time, so here you go!
> 
> Also:  
> Black Ranger in Chase's POV: Memory Chase  
> Chase in Chase's POV: Present Day Chase(obviously)

Lara

_It was dark and cold. No. Not cold. Actually, it was burning up. Lara's eyes snapped open as she felt extreme heat licking up her ankles. There was fire. A fire that was slowly climbing up her legs. Lara rolled to the side and quickly put the fire out. She first noticed that she wasn't wearing the clothes she'd been wearing in Amber Beach, which consisted of dark wash jeans, a white shirt, and a tan jacket with knee-high grey suede boots._

_What she was wearing was a large University of California, Los Angeles windbreaker with a picture of their mascot, a bruin, on the front, with light gray leggings, a light blue tank top, and black converse. Lara looked down at herself in confusion._

_"What the hell?" she whispered, just as the sound of footsteps alerted her to someone's approach. Lara whipped around in time to see a figure burst into whatever room Lara had been in. It turned out to be someone she thought she'd never see again. Her Ex-boyfriend, George Stewart. Last she checked, George had been in jail._

_"Lara?" he cried as Lara skittered away from him in fright. "What are you doing? Oh my god is that a fire?" As George rushed forwards, Lara jerked back even farther, and closer to the fire. George quickly grabbed a bucket and filled it with water from a nearby tap and doused the flames, soaking Lara in the process. Lara, meanwhile, was having a mini breakdown._

_She'd seen the LAPD drag a struggling George into a cruiser. He couldn't have escaped their custody, could he? Wouldn't the captain have called her? Granted, she had been busy in Amber Beach for the past couple of months, getting ready for her interview with Kendall, saving Chase from the Parasaur..._

_The mental record screech was so loud inside Lara's head, she was surprised George couldn't hear her. As it were, Lara was so preoccupied with her thoughts she didn't notice that George had been stepping slowly towards her. OMG, Chase, Was he reliving some sort of flashback memory too? The feel of George's fingers running down her cheek brought Lara back to the "present", so to speak, and she recoiled in disgust._

_"George, what are you doing?" she asked warily. George pressed her against the wall, running his hands down her arms. That was when Lara realized he was wearing his baseball uniform._

_"You didn't come to the game," he whispered, and suddenly, something clicked in Lara's brain. She finally realized what memory she was reliving. The Baseball game, a fire... No. Anything but this. It was bad enough when it happened the first time and Lara didn't know if her emotional state would be able to survive another encounter. Lara and George had never crossed that certain line in their relationship, mainly because of the fact that Lara hadn't been ready._

_But, that hadn't stopped George's advances. Finally, Lara had had too much. She'd called the police on George one fateful night after a UCLA baseball game when George had also had enough and tried to take advantage of Lara in an abandoned classroom, which looked to be where they were right now. It had been a traumatic experience for Lara, as it would be for anyone, and one of the main reasons she'd left Los Angeles for Amber Beach._

_"Sorry?" she said quietly, exactly how she'd phrased it in April, and still hating how it came out sounding like a question. George smirked, and a moment later his mouth was covering Lara's, his tongue prying Lara's lips open and sliding it against hers. Lara could feel tears prickling against the corners of her eyes as George practically ripped her jacket off, tossing it to the side._

_Lara realized that her tank top had also gotten wet when she'd been doused with water, and it was doing her no favors in this current situation. Lara shut her eyes tightly as George continued to kiss her savagely, and for some reason, she thought of Chase. Lara didn't know why, but just thinking of the slightly egotistical Kiwi gave Lara new strength. She was not going to let George hurt her again. Not this time. Lara brought her feet up and planted them against George's chest._

_As the redhead looked at her, one eyebrow raised, Lara smirked before she pushed out with her feet. Hard. Lara was suddenly very grateful to her father for making her take almost five weeks of self-defense classes after the original incident. George flew back and slammed into a shelf, where he slumped to the floor, holding his arm and scowling._

_"Ow! You bitch!" Lara suddenly ran forward and grabbed George's uniform collar and brought her face close to his. His breath smelled like garlic bread and fish, and Lara tried really hard not to recoil in disgust._

_" Don't call me that," she hissed. "This can't be real. You're supposed to be in prison. I saw you get sent to prison," To her shock and surprise, "George" started to laugh. Well, it was more of a cackle really, seeing as how his entire body was shaking from the pressure._

_"Hahaha! The others were right. You are a clever one,"  Lara's eyes widened as she slowly backed away from George's cackling form._

_"What are you talking about?" she asked. "What 'others'?" The young man in front of her stood up, rubbing his neck._

_"The other Energems of course. This," he gestured around them. "Is only a fabricated simulation. It's a part of the Energem test."_

_"Energem test?" Lara echoed. "George" sighed in exasperation._

_"The Energem test is a test, obviously, used to strengthen Energem bonds. Red and Pink had to do theirs when the Rangers faced off against Wish Star three years ago, and now it's your turn. Topaz and Black were always known to be two of the more unstable Energems, hence the more painful memories."_

_"How did I stop the simulation?" Lara wondered out loud._

_"You figured out that the George Stewart that you were interacting with wasn't the real deal, and the revelation halted your test."_

_"So, what do you actually look like?"_

_"That isn't important. I will tell you one thing though. My real name is Owen. And, you should probably save the Black Ranger before its too late."_

_"What's happening to Chase?" Lara asked coldly, her fists clenching. Lord only knows what he's going through right now. Owen smirked at her before he waved his hand._

_"Why don't I just show you?" he asked, and that was the last thing Lara heard before she descended into blackness._

Chase

_The first thing Chase noticed was the warmth. He slowly opened his eyes only to quickly shut them again when he was almost blinded by Amber Beach's sun. Chase groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. He soon realized he was in the park, not the zoo. Wait, the zoo? Lara. Chase whipped around, but the courageous brunette was nowhere to be seen. The last thing he remembered was fighting Fury. How long had he been unconscious? Was Lara okay? Had Fury ended up capturing her?_

_"Kendall?" Chase asked, whipping his Dino Com out of his pocket. "Keeper? Anybody there?" But, the screen stayed black. Chase knew he hadn't forgotten to charge it, right? Well, maybe he had. He'd been running late earlier and had almost forgotten to eat breakfast, which was saying something, in his case anyway._

_"Lara!" Chase called, standing up and jogging off in a random direction. "Where are you?" he was about to run across a sidewalk, when something he saw stopped him, dead in his tracks. It was him, well, the Black Ranger, walking with a girl that made Chase's heartstrings clench. Kaylee._

_Chase then realized what memory he was reliving, well, watching anyway. One of the most emotionally painful experiences of his life. Kaylee had been accepted at the NASA Space Academy and would be leaving soon. She had called Chase that day to ask him, the Black Ranger, to meet her at the park, saying she had to tell him something. Turns out, that 'something' was to tell Chase that she wanted to break up with him._

_Kaylee apparently hadn't thought that a long-distance relationship would work, what with Chase being a Ranger in Amber Beach, and her moving to Alabama in order to become an astronaut. So, she'd broken up with him, then left Amber Beach a few hours later. Part of the reason Shelby had been trying to get Chase a girlfriend was the abrupt way in which Kaylee had gone._

_"Chase!" A voice cried, and both Black Ranger's heads whipped around, in time for the Chase that was watching his own breakup to see Lara running towards them. Before the Black Ranger could anything, Chase had tackled the brunette girl to the ground, one hand over her mouth, the other holding a finger to his lips._

_"Ssh," he told her. "Don't let them notice us. This memory's already painful enough." A low rustle from the bushes to Chase's left alerted the Kiwi to someone's approach. Chase glanced up in time to see the Black Ranger standing over them, Dino Blaster out and ready._

_'Don't look down,' Chase was thinking. 'Don't look down. Don't look down.' Luckily, the Black Ranger didn't seem to notice anything and walked away. Chase heaved a sigh of relief when his counterpart was out of earshot, and he couldn't help but wonder if he was always that naive. A gentle nudge from underneath him reminded Chase of his other predicament. He was currently positioned over Lara in such a way that could've been considered romantic, in a different situation._

_"Sorry," he muttered, climbing off of her and peeking his head over the top of the bush, to see that the Black Ranger and Kaylee had walked off. Pulling Lara up, he gazed at her for a moment before speaking. "Do you have any idea what's going on here?" he asked. Before Lara could answer though, a sharp pain lanced through Chase's mind, bringing with it a variety of images._

_Lara, younger, and sitting with who Chase assumed to be her mother, playing with some dinosaur figurines, which Chase noticed to be a Parasaur and Maiasaura, respectively. Then, an older Lara, presumably right before she'd come to Amber Beach, cowering before a taller figure, but Chase couldn't make out their face. And an influx of something Chase could only describe as fear. In the latter memory, Lara was scared. What _ _happened_ _to her? What had happened to the Topaz Ranger?_

 


	5. SORRY

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

So, Listen...

I will be abandoning The Blackened Topaz to focus on D.A.W.N Academy and the following stories.

It's not that I don't  _want_ to continue the adventure of Chase and Lara, I just have a major writers' block about how to continue, and D.A.W.N Academy is taking priority right now.

So, until I figure out how to finish this story, this Power Rangers fic will be set on the backburner.

 

Again, I'm sorry

-FreedomWhistle


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